


Because of a Cupcake

by Darth_Cass



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Fluff and Angst, Gift Giving, Hope's Peak Academy AU, M/M, Spoilers for Amami's free time events, Unrequited Love, established relationship Amami/Saihara, more fluff than angst tbh, one-sided feelings on Ouma's part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 02:58:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12572232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Cass/pseuds/Darth_Cass
Summary: Saihara and Amami have been happily dating, and life seems pretty perfect. Until a present from a certain Ultimate Supreme Leader starts one of the strangest and most passive aggressive competitions that Saihara has the misfortune of being right in the middle of.





	Because of a Cupcake

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic as a birthday gift for my dear friend Sam who requested the basic plot. Happy belated birthday you big nerd thanks for being involved in literally every danganronpa fic I write.

Saihara Shuichi wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he enrolled at Hope’s Peak Academy. His talent as a detective was a fluke after all. If asked, he would have told you that he expected to be kicked out as soon as the administration had figured out this fact. Saihara never expected that he would have such a colourful cast of classmates, and he never expected he would befriend them. 

He never expected he would have fallen in love with a certain Ultimate Adventurer either, and in a million years he would have never expected that said certain Ultimate Adventurer would have also fallen for him. 

As Saihara walked the halls of Hope’s Peak holding Amami’s hand he considered just how wonderful his life really had become since becoming a student of such an incredible school. The concept of perfection was a complete impossibility and Saihara knew that of course. Still, his life was pretty damn close to perfect. If Saihara had to find to something to complain about there was only one small, tiny, little problem.

“Saihara-chan! Amami-chan!”

A slightly bigger problem to be more accurate.

It wasn’t necessarily, that Ouma Kokichi the self-proclaimed Ultimate Supreme Leader was the problem itself. Sure, Ouma could be frustrating to deal with on the best of days. Especially with his penchant for lying and constant pranks. However, Saihara had come to expect this of his classmate and he had grown used to Ouma’s usual antics. The detective could never quite figure Ouma out, but they had formed a friendship and Saihara was oddly fond of him.

Lately though, Ouma seemed to have grown even more obnoxious, especially whenever Saihara was with Amami. Saihara had lost count of how many times Ouma had managed to show up and interrupt a moment and, on several occasions, dates with Amami. Today wasn’t as bad as some occasions but at this rate it felt like Saihara would never be allowed a peaceful moment alone with Amami. 

_God dammit._

Saihara figured that his boyfriend must have had a similar line of thought as he noticed Amami visibly wince as soon as they both heard Ouma’s exclamation. They both knew that ignoring Ouma would do nothing to stop him, he was annoyingly persistent and would not stop until he got the attention he demanded. So, the two of them stopped and turned towards their classmate with slightly forced polite smiles.

“Hello, Ouma-kun,” Saihara replied. Doing his best to keep any tone of annoyance out of his voice. 

Ouma, seemingly oblivious to any forced politeness from his classmates, grinned and ran up to them. “I’m so glad I was able to run into the two of you! Especially you my beloved Saihara-chan, nishishi.” 

“Did you want something Ouma-kun?” Amami’s tone was as carefree as it normally was but Saihara could feel Amami’s grip tighten around his hand. 

Ouma huffed and pouted slightly “Do I need a reason to talk to my precious classmates?” Before either of those ‘precious’ classmates could respond, Ouma’s expression instantly changed to a far more cheerful one. “Actually, that was a lie. I do have a reason.” Ouma held out a small package in his hand and handed it to Saihara. “I got you a present Saihara-chan! You should be grateful, it’s not every day the leader of an evil organization feels generous enough to give gifts after all.”

Saihara took the gift while giving a confused look to his boyfriend, who only shrugged in response. Saihara took a minute to examine the present. It was rather small, and able to fit in just one hand. It was beautifully wrapped and clearly someone had put a lot of effort in making the presentation look pretty. It probably wasn’t dangerous but with Ouma you could never be too sure. “Uh…thanks Ouma-kun.”

“Geez you’re taking foreeeever. You’re so mean not trusting this gift from me. I would never do anything to harm my beloved. Just open it already Saihara-chan!”

Saihara let go of Amami’s hand, noting that it was a bit difficult with the tight grip that only seemed to grow tighter the longer Ouma was around. Saihara then began to carefully unwrap the gift, and its contents were not at all what he expected. Within the box was a single chocolate cupcake with a childishly drawn heart on the icing. Before Saihara had a chance to question Ouma about the gift, the smaller boy had already run off. 

\----------------------------

“You don’t think he actually meant anything with that cupcake, do you?” Saihara and Amami were currently in Saihara’s dorm room cuddling on the bed. Shortly after they began dating, it became rare for the two of them to spend a night apart. They alternated between which room they stayed in but it didn’t matter to them. As long as they were together they were content. 

“Are you still worried about that, Rantaro?” Saihara laid down on Amami’s chest, feeling himself drift off to sleep snuggled with his boyfriend. “You know what Ouma-kun is like. It was probably his idea of a joke.” 

Naturally, after receiving food from Ouma, they were both suspicious. But after having the ultimate pharmacist examine it they learned it wasn’t poisoned or anything. It was just a normal cupcake, which was almost scarier considering who it was from. Still, there was no sense in letting a perfectly good cupcake go to waste so Saihara ate it, much to the barely hidden annoyance of his boyfriend. Saihara never said so out loud, but he’d be lying if he didn’t say the cupcake was actually really good. 

Amami sighed as he idly ran his fingers through Saihara’s hair. “Yeah, you’re right, it’s probably nothing. I’m just being dumb.” 

Saihara sleepily mumbled out something that might have been “you’re not dumb” but came out as mostly incoherent gibberish. Amami only chuckled in response and closed his eyes to get some sleep. As Amami tried to sleep his mind was plagued with various thoughts related to what had happened that day. 

_It was obviously just one of Ouma’s jokes._

_He wasn’t actually interested in Shuichi._

_Right?_

\----------------------------

It had been a couple of day since the cupcake incident and Saihara had all but forgotten about it. Ouma never brought it up, and in fact had actually been keeping his distance from Saihara and Amami since then. This behaviour was odd of course and Saihara couldn’t help but question it. However, Saihara also knew that questioning a good thing never lead to a positive outcome so he didn’t try to delve deeply into it. 

So, Saihara sat in the school’s library reading a novel, only barely aware that Ouma was a couple of tables away and seemed to be working on something. When it came to Ouma it was best to not ask and just leave him be, even if asked he’d lie about what he was working on anyway. 

Saihara was so absorbed in his novel that he didn’t even realize Amami had shown up until he felt a kiss on his cheek. Saihara marked his place and put down his novel. He turned to Amami and gave him a smile.

“Shui- uh Saihara,” Amami began. When it was just the two of them alone they were able to easily call each other by their given names, however in public it was still kind of embarrassing, at least it was for Saihara. However, they tended to not use honorifics even when on a family name basis. There was no need for the couple to be that formal in public. “I got something for you.” He held out a box of expensive looking chocolates. “Dark chocolate is your favourite, right?” 

Saihara raised an eyebrow, “Yes but…what’s the occasion?” 

Amami merely smiled his trademarked easy-going grin in response. “I don’t need a reason to get my boyfriend a gift, do I? I just thought you’d like it that’s all.”

Saihara felt his cheeks get red after hearing that. “Thank-you Amami, that’s very nice of you.” It was still kind of weird to be given a present completely out of the blue like this, but dark chocolates were his favourite so maybe it was best not to question this. 

Amami’s smile changed into a more mischievous one. “If you’d like I could feed them to you.” Saihara’s blush became even redder and he began spluttering incoherently in response. 

Saihara was too distracted by his boyfriend’s teasing to notice that he and Amami had been observed the entire time. He didn’t notice Ouma leave his seat and walk past them. He also didn’t hear a giggle and the words, “Challenge accepted Amami-chan”. 

Saihara didn’t notice any of this. But Amami did. 

\----------------------------

After that day, Saihara’s life became strange. It seemed like either Ouma or Amami felt the need to give him some sort of gift on an almost constant basis. The gifts were rather small, and in the beginning, were usually some sort of small baked good or sweet. It was flattering and a bit nice for the first few days . But after a while Saihara felt like he never wanted to eat another chocolate, or cupcake, or cream-puff, or eclair, or any other sweet thing on the planet ever again. 

The gifts weren’t just edibles though. For example, there was one occasion where Saihara found an Agatha Christie novel on his desk with a note from a ‘secret admirer’ that was clearly written in Ouma’s handwriting. Since then the gifts escalated from baked goods into anything Amami and Ouma thought Saihara would like. Saihara couldn’t say for certain but there was a decent chance he might now own the largest collection of mystery novels, films, and TV show DVD box sets on the planet.

Saihara was starting to feel like he was an NPC in a dating sim. Someone who only existed to be wooed through gifts. It’d be flattering if it weren’t so obnoxious and on a constant basis. A gift once in a while was fine, and Saihara himself enjoyed giving little gifts to his friends and boyfriend. But, gifts nearly every day was excessive. What was worse was how competitive the whole thing seemed to be. Both Amami and Ouma were only giving him gifts when the other was clearly around to see it. It had already been almost a month and there seemed to be little chance of Ouma or Amami stopping their stupid gift giving game anytime soon.

He was sure they both meant well. Well, he figured Amami did anyway; Ouma’s intentions in general were always a mystery. But as Saihara tried to focus on the paperwork for the last case he worked on, he couldn’t help but wonder if he even mattered in this gift giving thing. Saihara immediately pushed that thought from his mind and began filling in some of the paperwork. As boring it was, it was still a welcome break from the constant gift-giving and Saihara’s anxious thoughts.

“Saihara-chan I made chocolate chip cookies, do you want one? Nishishi, that's a lie. I didn’t make them Tojo-chan did, buuut she gave me some, so we can share!”

“Hey babe, I found a foreign mystery novel from the last place I visited, I hear it’s really good I think you’d love it.”

There goes the dream of a break. 

As soon as Ouma and Amami had entered the room they locked eyes. Ouma’s expression was blank and unreadable, while Amami’s was pleasant smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Hi Amami-chan! Wow that’s a really neat book you got there. Are you sure Saihara-chan’s gonna be able to read it if it’s foreign?” Ouma’s expression changed into a more sinister-looking smile “That’s pretty inconsiderate of you to get your boyfriend a book he can’t even read.” 

“Don’t worry Ouma-kun, I made sure to get a Japanese copy just for him.” Amami’s expression became darker and more serious. “And I don’t think it’s a good idea to give him those cookies, Saihara has been eating too many sweets lately. It’s not healthy to have too many sweets, you know.” 

“It’s not my fault Saihara-chan’s had so many sweets to eat lately, you’ve given him just as many as I have. Don’t worry my beloved Amami-chan, I forgive you for being a hypocrite.” 

“Why do you keep giving my boyfriend gifts anyway? It’s normal to give pastries to your partner but giving them to another person’s partner isn’t very nice Ouma-kun.”

“I got him these cookies because we’re friends. Friends give each other gifts.” Ouma instantly broke out into fake tears. “You’re so mean Amami-chan not letting Saihara-chan have friends!” 

“WILL BOTH OF YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY?!”

Ouma and Amami both froze and turned to Saihara, as if they only just realized he was there. Saihara had stood up with his outburst and was glaring at the two of them. 

“Enough is enough already! I am so sick of sweets, I never even want to look at sugar again. And I probably now own more books than I will ever be able to read in a lifetime.” Saihara looked at Ouma. “I don’t know why you decided to give gifts, you wouldn’t tell me even if I asked. If it was part of a prank, then you probably got what you wanted anyway.” Saihara then turned towards Amami. “I expect this kind of behaviour from Ouma-kun but not from you Amami. You’re not normally competitive like this. I appreciate the gesture I suppose, but I won’t be accepting either of your gifts. I’m tired of being some prize for you both to fight over. You two can keep fighting if you want, just leave me out of it. It’s not like I really mattered in any of this anyway.” Saihara gathered his stuff and stormed out the room leaving a dumbfounded Amami and Ouma behind. 

\----------------------------

Saihara lay in his bed that night alone for the first time in what felt like forever. Without Amami beside him his bed felt too empty. It was incredible the difference a few months could make, Saihara had spent most of his life sleeping alone but now it felt like an impossible task. 

_Maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at him like that._ Logically he knew he couldn’t let Amami or Ouma continue their stupid gift-giving contest. Snapping at them and then leaving probably wasn’t the smartest way to handle it though. It was one of those things that seemed like the best course of action at the time, but the longer he spent trying to sleep the more he began to regret how he acted. 

Suddenly, Saihara heard a knock on the door which interrupted his guilt-filled thoughts. Saihara walked to the door and opened it, and saw the person he most wanted to see but also most wanted to avoid. 

Amami stood there with his casual (and completely adorable) smile, but Saihara noticed Amami seemed to be looking everywhere but at him. “Uh hey, Saihara-kun, I know it’s late but, can I come in?” Saihara couldn’t help but wince hearing his boyfriend being so formal with him, but he figured he probably deserved it. 

“O-of course Amami-kun.” Saihara moved aside and allowed Amami entered the room. Saihara closed the door behind them and turned to face his boyfriend. 

“Sorry if I woke you.” 

“No, it’s okay I couldn’t really sleep.” The words _without you_ remained unsaid but lingered on the tip of Saihara’s tongue.

The two of them stood awkwardly for a minute that felt like an eternity. Amami chuckled and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. Saihara watched wanting nothing more than to take that hand and hold it in his. Finally, sick of this god-awful silence the two of them began to speak. 

“Amami-kun, I-”

“Shuichi, I-”

“I’m sorry!” The two of them locked eyes, both widened in shock at what the other had said.

“What are you apologizing for I was the one acting like a jealous, inconsiderate jerk.” 

“I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Honestly, what kind of a person gets mad because his boyfriend is giving him gifts?” 

The two of them began laughing out of relief that the other didn’t seem angry and at how absurd their situation now seemed.

“Let’s just agree we’re both sorry, and hopefully both forgiven.” Amami said after their laughter had died down. His (still adorable) smile on his face looked noticeably a lot more natural than his earlier one did. 

“Agreed.” Saihara answered with a soft smile of his own. “I have to wonder though, why did you let Ouma-kun’s gift get to you so much? It’s not like you to get so worked up over his antics.” 

“I probably owe you an explanation for that, huh?” Amami sighed and sat on the edge of Saihara’s bed. His gaze once again avoiding Saihara’s. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and begun. “Do you remember when I told you about losing my sisters?” Saihara nodded. “Well, I know that it’s not the same thing, but I guess I was just afraid…”

“Afraid?”

“Of losing you too.” Amami made eye contact with Saihara at this point. Amami was an expert at hiding his emotions, in some ways he could be considered a better liar than Ouma. Even as the Ultimate Detective, Saihara had trouble reading his boyfriend’s emotions sometimes. In this moment though, Saihara could see the pain in Amami’s eyes and all his emotions lay bare in his beautiful eyes. 

And Saihara loved him all the more for it. 

Saihara sat beside Amami on the bed and held Amami’s shaking hand in a comforting grip. “Rantaro, you’re not in danger of losing me because of Ouma-kun’s sudden desire to give me a gift. You’re my boyfriend, not Ouma-kun. I love you, Rantaro.” Before Amami had a chance to respond, Saihara had his lips pressed against Amami’s for a chaste kiss that very quickly became not so chaste. As the two boys eventually broke apart for some air, Saihara noticed Amami let out a brief but near-hysterical laugh. 

“God, I’m an idiot,” Amami said, “I didn’t want to worry you because I know that it was dumb to be scared in the first played. Look how well that worked out,huh? I should have just talked to you instead of letting it get this far, I’m sorry Shuichi.” 

“It’s like you said before Rantaro, we both handled things poorly, and we’re both forgiven.” Saihara leaned in to give his boyfriend another kiss when Amami suddenly put his finger on Saihara’s lips.

“Wait, there’s just one more thing I wanted to say Shuichi.” Saihara said nothing and waited for Amami to continue.

“I love you too.”

\----------------------------

Ouma Kokichi had no idea his gift of a cupcake would lead to such an amusing competition. The competition was fun while it lasted but, like all games inevitably do, it became boring after awhile. Ouma was actually grateful for Saihara’s outburst; it allowed the game to end on a high and interesting note. True neither Ouma or Amami seemed to have really won that game, but winning wasn’t really Ouma’s intention. 

Ouma considered himself to be many things, but a homewrecker was not one of them, and that’s the truth. He had no desire to break up his beloved Amami and his beloved Saihara. They were obviously happy together. It was all a test to see if their love could withstand any obstacle. That was obviously his purpose. 

It’s not like Ouma actually has feelings for both Saihara and Amami. And he certainly hadn't figured that a gift competition was the best way to get the attention of both of them. It’s not like he enjoyed having their attention or anything. It wasn’t painful being yelled at by Saihara and seeing Amami’s hurt face after.

Of course not, that would be preposterous. 

Ouma was on his way to Saihara’s room, not to apologize or try to fix things obviously. What evil organization leader would feel the need to apologize for giving gifts? On his way there he noticed Amami entering Saihara’s room. Out of curiosity, and certainly not concern, Ouma stood by the doorway listening in on the conversation. A look of guilt at hearing Amami’s confession of fear might have spread across the young boy’s face, but he’d deny it if asked. 

Ouma thought about opening the door. He thought about confessing his feelings to them. He imagined them accepting and all three of them being happy together. He imagined Amami’s easygoing smile directed at him. He imagined the feeling of Saihara’s soft looking hand in his own. It would certainly not be boring to be with them. 

Except, he made no attempt to open the door. All those thoughts was just a lie that Ouma's brain had cooked up. Ouma didn’t need a relationship. Besides, as long as both of his beloveds were happy that was enough for him. 

The best liars are the ones who can to lie themselves after all.


End file.
